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Model Laboratory N5:

Panzerjger Jagdtiger Sd.Kfz.186

Frhe Produktion
Color chart and materials employed: ..............2-3
Detailed assembly: ........................................4-9
Paint treatments: ..........................................10-25
General overviews: ........................................26-29
Color profiles: ..............................................30-31

Editor
Rodrigo Hernndez Cabos
Technical Staff
Joaqun Garca Gzquez
Rodrigo Hernndez Cabos.
Coordinating chief
Maris Chacn
Photography
Joaqun Garca Gzquez
Color profiles
Rodrigo Hernndez Cabos
Lay-out
Kommad Publicidad s.l.

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Legal Deposit: M-19724-1992

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any forms or by any means without the permission from the publisher.
MODEL LABORATORY doesn't expressly line up with the opinions of the collaborators.

M. Laboratory

Choosing Products: ......................................32-33

"

ts quite impressive to see a Jagdtiger for real; its massive structure is truly a challenge whenever we try to portray it in scale, in this case the 1/35 scale. One of the difficulties we encounter is the large armored planks; in this
vehicle everything is huge. It is necessary to be careful both in the assembly stage because of the many weld
marks, fastenings and peculiar shapes the vehicle has and in the painting phase because we need to reach an equilibrium with the paint scratches , streaking, rust and so forth. In order to bear in mind all this and other important considerations we offer a step by step photographic review to help you accurately recreate this AFV.

COLOR CHART

MATERIALS EMPLOYED:

AIRBRUSH:
- Vallejo Primer 604 Dunkelgelb
RAL 7028
Model Air:
- 71.025 Dunkelgelb RAL 7028
- 71.027 Light Brown
- 71.028 Sand Yellow
- 71.074 Radome Tan
- 71.092 Olivgrn RAL6003
- 71.041 Rotbran RAL 8017
- 70.522 Satin Varnish

ACRYLICS (BRUSH)
Vallejo Model Color
- 70.873 US Field Drab
- 70.916 Sand Yellow
- 70.941 Burnt Umber
- 70.982 Cavalry Brown
- 70.950 Black
- 70.976 Buff
- 70.978 Dark Yellow

AK
- AK 711 Chipping Color
Citadel
- Boltgun Metal
- Chainmail
- Chaos Black
- Gold
- Bronze
OTHERS WEATHERING
PRODUCTS:

Tamiya:
- XF-52 Flat Earth
- XF-8 Flat Blue.
Lifecolor:
- UA304 Sand
HUMBROL ENAMELS
- 72 Khaki Drill
- 33 Black Matt
OILS
- 465 Paynes Gray (W&N).
- 88 Yellow Ochre (T).
- 416 Sepia (R).
- 508 Prussian Blue (VG).
- 69 Sap Green (T).
- 105 Titanium White (VG).
- 82 Ivory Black (T).
- 3 Burnt Umber (W&N).
- 74 Raw Umber (T).
- 98 Pink Earth Transparent (T).
- 41 Vandyke Brown (W&N).
- 79 Titan Grey (T).
- 94 Golden Ochre Transparent (T).
- 34 Raw Sienna (W&N).
- Abt125 Light Mud (Abt).
(T)Titan
(W&N) Windsor & Newton
(R) Rembrandt
(VG) Van Gogh
(Abt) 502 Abteilung.

Tamiya
- Weathering Stick Mud
- Weathering Stick Light Earth
- Weathering Master A
Mig Productions
- Dark Wash
Pebeo
- Acrylic Gel Matt
AK
- AK048 AK Pigment Fixer
- AK084 Engine Oil
- AK078 Damp Earth
PIGMENTS
- AK042 European Earth
- Mr Hobby PW06 Rust Orange
- Colormatt 451 Medium Ochre
- Vallejo 73109 Raw Umber
- Mig P028 Europe Dust
- Several Earth Pigments Color
mixtures of Fine Arts

M. Laboratory

Tamiya:
- Ref. 216 Tiger I Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausfhrung E
(Sd.Kfz.181) Frhe Produktion
Friulmodel:
- Ref. ATL 116 Initial Type Tracks
Voyagermodel:
- Ref. PE 35062
RB:
- Ref. 35B01 8.8cm KwK 36L/56

ASSEMBLY
Usually and simply by following the customary structure of the current hobby reviews,
the assembly stage is typically taken care of
by a few finished pictures of the kit with
comments on the improvements undertaken
with the additional sets bought and used in
conjunction with the kit bought.
This is not a customary magazine and being
dedicated to a single kit, the subject couldnt
be dealt with in the usual manner, so other
than the very necessary pictures of the finished Jagdtiger in the assembly stage, Ive also
reunited a number of assembly techniques
which I use regularly and hope that can be
of practical use.

The assembly work can be undertaken in

different ways; we can simply assemble the
kit right out of the box and center our efforts
on the paintjob. This is not a far out option
considering the quality of the many kits
available on the market. We can also refurbish, add or improve on every detail of the
kits features until were satiated.
I usually tread on the middle ground. I refine
and add details to a degree but I dont really
go crazy on the process. I simply push it
until I deem it enough in order to obtain a
decent base for the painting process.
This once Ive done some unusual work, rescuing some PE remains I had for recreating

the tool fastenings and simply bought the

motor grilles and the turned aluminum Aber
gun. The job was capped with the Friulmodel
tracks, which are absolutely necessary in
order to give it its final touch and that nondescript feeling of having a heavy and powerful monster. This is a project with basically
an aim at recycling some materials I had.
The research materials are simply unavoidable: The Achtung Panzer issue no. 6 dedicated to the Tiger vehicles for instance, will
furnish the necessary plans and details.
With this publication in your hand you can
grasp every issue that may pop up on the
subject matter youre working with.

A few basic assembly techniques

BASIC TOOLS FOR WORKING
WITH STYRENE
Working with styrene is simple and
quite pleasing and working with it doesnt
require that many tools but it does require
some good ones. A knife with snap off
blades is always necessary for having the
cutting edge in good sharp condition. Flat
tipped pliers, liquid styrene glue and a
dishwasher aluminum sponge will do
more than good.

1. I insist on the
need of always
having your blade
in a good and
sharp condition.
The sponge can
be cut in smaller
sections in order
to be able to use
these easily.

2. In order to remove the piece from

the sprue you can use the cutting
pliers, but dont cut the piece up
close; sprue remains are later on
eliminated with the knife, being
careful not to harm the piece.

3. With a perfectly sharp blade well cut the sprue remains

carving the sprue out instead of knifing it away because
otherwise we will harm the piece.
4. Now we polish the piece with the sponge eliminating all
possible sprue or mold remains; this operation will also
improve the adherence of the piece.
5. Clean piece ready to be assembled.

M. Laboratory

IMPOSSIBLE TO USE PUTTY?

During assembly I encountered a problem
with the fitting of the rear plank with the
lateral ones. In the real life vehicle in order
to improve on the solidity of its built- planks
were fitted together with intertwined fittings.
The kit includes the complete rear plank in
one single piece which once glued with the
sides it leaves an unwanted step that must
be gotten rid of, and be left level with the
lateral planks of the armoring.

Doing this with putty is nearly

impossible. An easy way to fix it is
to glue a thicker piece of Plasticard
solidly fixed with cyanoacrylate
glue.

In order to obtain a perfectly flat

sanding result we use double sided tape
to stick the sandpaper piece to one half
of a clothes pin which we will use as a
sanding block.

WELDING REMAINS MADE WITH

PUTTY
In almost all kits portraying military vehicles, it will be necessary to recreate welding
strips. An easy way to do it is to imitate these with the putty brand which you normally
use.
1. Jagdtiger_a30 We begin with a little
amount of putty left to dry until it is dry
to the touch and were able to cut it in
thin strips with a triangle shaped knife
blade. Bear in mind that depending on
how thick putty is kneaded it will dry
up in about 50 to 60 minutes.
2. Soak the area where you want your
welding strip with putty; put the putty
strip in place (The putty strip itself is
previously softened back with acetone)
until it is perfectly adapted in its resting
spot.
3. Once the strip is in place we soak the
area with acetone again and now we
can use the blade to carve the strip
with the usual texture.
4. Finished results: The welding strip.

M. Laboratory

With this we sand out until flat the

fitting with the lateral planks. A
little bit of putty diluted with
acetone can be used to reveal pores
and other imperfections to be
addressed later.

AUTOGENOUS AND OTHER KINDS OF

WELDING REMAINS
Other common textures are the edges of the
armored planks left by the autogenous welding
tools. With this technique you can also recreate
diverse welding marks and Imperfections.
With this tool you can etch the typical
marks to recreate the texture of the cut.
I would recommend you to work with
the necessary precautions in order not to
get hurt with the tool and avoid spoiling
the kit. Welding marks are made by
gently poking the surface with the fully
heated tip of the tool.

COVERING HOLES
Most kits have holes which should often
be covered up. Sealing them perfectly is
absolutely necessary if you need these to go
unnoticed.
In order to fasten the tools in place the
kit has a considerable amount of holes
in its sides. We have chosen to use the
PE pieces so we actually need to cover
these perfectly. We begin by
introducing circular Evergreen rod
sections glued with cyanoacrylate glue
sealing the holes completely.

M. Laboratory

With the clothespin half and sandpaper

piece described earlier we sand the
surface until it is perfectly flat.

We cap the work by going over the

texture and the gaps we might have
left with Gunze Sangyos Mr. Surfacer
500 diluted with acetone.

In order to recreate the typical texture

of the cutting of the armored planks
with the autogenous welding tools and
other welding marks you need a low
powered welding tool (Im using a 26W
tool) and attach an X-acto knife blade
in the tools tip.

Tamiyas Extra Thin glue can be used

to smooth out the cuts until you obtain
the desired results.

SMALL HANDLES OF THE SAME SIZE

Many vehicles have both small handles
and fastenings to fasten camouflage or hanging other impedimenta. Making these handles and having these all look alike is actually
easier than it seems.
1. Small handles are made by
manufacturing a small and simple
device using a clothespin. We cut both
ends of the cutting wire of a wire saw;
the three sections are glued with
cyanoacrylate glue as seen in the
picture. You have to be careful to leave
between the union of the metal pieces
a space similar to the thickness of the
wire itself because if you dont you will
squash it.
2. Now we pass the wire and we exert
pressure until we obtain the desired
handle shape.

3. Now we cut the small handles and

put them together in one place (in this
case a water bottle cap) to prevent
losing them.
4. We end the work by squashing the
ends (just like its done with the real
life item) cutting these to the required
measurements.
5. The exact location for these is
determined by the blueprints in the
Achtung Panzer issue. The handles are
glued in place with cyanoacrylate glue.

M. Laboratory

As Ive pointed out

before, this kit has not
been built with
excessive detailing
replacing pieces just
for the sake of doing
so, we only change or
add detail whenever it
is strictly necessary.
Weve added some
tool fastenings, the
frontal PE fenders, the
lock of the guns
support, etc.

The fastenings for the

tow cables are made
out of aluminum sheet,
we place on its supports
a plastic wingnut.

M. Laboratory

The lateral Schrtzen

are made with
aluminum sheet. The
plastic ones which
come with the kit are
used as a template for
cutting the new
aluminum ones.

PAINTING
The painting goal underlined here, is to
obtain the best realistic result possible.
This calls for studying many period pictures of the Jagdtiger trying to understand
how the vehicle got dirty in its day and
how it deteriorated while still in service.
This is basically the idea where everything sparks from. When in doubt on
how to paint something theres nothing
better than taking a long look into a good
picture and check if theres any paint
chips, scratches, grease, sand or even
sometimes things we havent even imagined that were there.
The first thing would be to prepare
the kit for the painting process. You
should wash it with a soft brush,
dishwasher soap and water, allowing
it to dry up thoroughly. This way we
get rid of the hand grease, dirt etc
we may have left on the kit during
the assembly stage; helping paint
adhere properly.

M. Laboratory

The next step is to apply priming. A

good priming coat helps the painting
process and will protect and unify
the different components gathered
during the assembly such as metal,
plastic, putty etc. In this case we
have used the Acrylic Polyurethane
paint from Vallejo, which
additionally gives us the original
base color, which helps us further on
the full painting process.

10

The next step is to apply the base

color itself bearing in mind that it is
easier to have the primer included in
the color we seek. We continue by
airbrushing Vallejos 71.025 Dark
Yellow in thin coats covering the
kit well enough.

We live in a period were the finishing

products for the hobbyist: specific
thinners and colors, pigments, oil paints,
acrylic washes, enamel washes, textured
products and so on, leaves us to choose
from such a broad range and quality
products without parallel in history.
Im actually used to working with just
the essentials but I reckon that sometimes Ive felt overwhelmed on this offer
and I didnt know which one was the
right product to use for the occasion.
After a while and once Ive analyzed these
Ive come to the conclusion that these
products do make the job a whole lot easier saving us some time in many stages
helping us a great deal to paint and age
our kits.

Now we work on the volumes of this

kit, enhancing these. The idea is to
single out with paint the areas with
the greatest amount of light from
those with less light, seeking always
a naturalistic effect without forcing
the lights and the shadows.

For the highlights I prepare 4

variants of the base color.
1 Light for the horizontal surfaces.
2 Medium light, for the sloped
surfaces.
3 Medium dark, for the vertical
surfaces.
4 Dark for the lower areas.

M. Laboratory

Here we can see the final result; as

we can see the color hues
mentioned also match the areas
where these hues are painted on,
so the increase of the volume
weve obtained is also natural
looking and convincing.

11

Painting the camouflage pattern

First I begin by marking with a watercolor pencil the

contour of the camouflage spots, in this case closely
following the patterns included in the instruction sheet of
the kit.

In order to separate the different camouflage colors I use the

Silly Putty kids use. This putty can be kneaded and
molded easily and it adapts itself perfectly to the contours
of the spots and it sticks well in place. Later on it can be
easily and harmlessly removed. This kind of putty can be
acquired easily on Ebay for those of you which dont live in
the US.

We begin with the green color paint, without worrying too

much about the brown colored areas. A simple hand held
paper mask will help you avoid paint stains on unwanted
areas.

M. Laboratory

Now we paint the brown colored surface.

12

Now we work on the whole vehicle.

We have followed the same lighting principle on the

camouflage spots than when applying the base color, preparing
three hues of green and brown: light, medium and dark.

The small camouflage spots are painted with a brand new

thin brush with Vallejo acrylics.

The base color is completely finished.

The basic paintwork chores

end when we apply an
airbrushed coat of Vallejos
satin varnish. Now we can
begin with the ageing and
weathering processes.

M. Laboratory

We apply gloss varnish on the spots where well place

the decals. The Micro Set and Sol liquids guarantee us
a perfect adherence for the decals.

13

Weathering techniques
ENAMEL DIRT:
A long time ago I discovered by
chance a weathering technique that Im
particularly fond of: You basically have to
airbrush a highly diluted coat of sand colored Humbrol enamel all over the kit, and
before it dries up you partially remove it.
This creates a light and realistic coat of
grimy patina which also acts as a filter for
the other colors, integrating these and
working as a base for the treatments that
will be applied later on.

The color employed for this, is specifically

Humbrols 72 Khaki Drill heavily diluted.

M. Laboratory

After approximately 15 minutes

drying time, we can partially remove
it by soaking the surface with
Humbrols thinner and a brush in
good working use.

14

The looks of the kit once finished is

rather dull and poor but dont worry
too much about it, because we will
improve it.

WONDERFUL OIL PAINT

The next step would be to work with oil
paint. OIL PAINT is WONDERFUL, oils are
capable of fully transforming a kit, oils bring
forth a wide color range, alter the colors, create the thinnest color transparencies, convey
dust, dirt, rust The properties of oil paint
alone could allow us to age a given kit exclusively with it; if wed set out to do it. The
possibilities can be fleshed out with the simple example which follows.

The possibilities of oil paint can be

showcased in this one side of our
Jagdtiger.
Soaking half of it with Humbrols
enamel thinner we put a few small
pellets of oil paint.
Now we melt paint together but we try
not to mix everything thoroughly
because we will loose some nuances if
we did.
Differences between the treated and
the untreated areas. We can see the
range of nuances, the increase in
contrast and the overall enrichment in
terms of hues and shades of the
paintwork.

M. Laboratory

Choosing Oil Paint

I usually divide my color palette in two
groups: the colors for treating the camouflage
and those employed for weathering and dirt.
Camouflage:
465 Paynes Gray (W&N).
88 Yellow Ochre (T).
416 Sepia (R).
508 Prussian Blue (VG).
69 Sap Green (T).
105 Titanium White (VG).
82 Ivory Black (T).
3 Burnt Umber (W&N).
74 Burnt Umber (T).
Dirt-Weathering:
98 Pink Earth Transparent (T).
41 Vandyke Brown (W&N).
79 Titan Grey (T).
94 Gold Ochre Transparent (T).
34 Raw Sienna (W&N).
Abt125 Light Mud (Abt).
(T) Titan; (W&N) Windsor & Newton; (R)
Rembrandt; (VG) Van Gogh, (Abt) 502
Abteilung.
It is recommendable to put oil paint on a
piece of cardboard which will absorb excess
oil from paint. Doing this and using a high
quality thinner like Humbrols we will pretty
much get rid of all unwanted gloss.

15

PAINTING THE TOOLS:

Minding these details is crucial for a
good finish; usually tools are a whole lot
less bright and are much more integrated
with the dirt and grime than we tend to
think of. I usually shudder whenever I see
newer looking tools painted with bright
colors attached to vehicles with stunning
weathering and ageing effects.

I use Vallejo
acrylics for the
wooden part of
the tools, I apply a
good base with US
Field Drab 70.873,
and then I light it
up on some areas
with Sand Yellow
70.916 trying to
recreate the
texture of wood.
Shades are then
created with Burnt
Umber 70.941
highly diluted and
applied as a wash.

The working ends of the tools are

painted with Citadels Boltgun
Metal. Later on tools will be aged
and will receive the same weathering
treatments (which will be explained
later) applied to the rest of the
vehicle.

For the metal surfaces of the shovel

the handle and the shovel head- I
begin by applying Humbrols Flat
Black No. 33.

We let dry to the touch (about 15

minutes) and we polish it with
powdered graphite (pencil lead)
obtaining a convincing metallic
appearance.

Metallic surfaces can be scratched,

polished along its edges and so on with
a graphite pencil. As we can see we
apply the same weathering and ageing
treatments which integrate these
elements to the vehicle.

THE TRACKS

M. Laboratory

Painting the tracks is a very important

chapter whenever were trying to recreate an

16

AFV. Tracks are subject to much wear, friction with the ground, wheels and so on,

We begin by painting the tracks with a mixture of XF-52

Flat Earth darkened with a little XF-8 Flat Blue.

and therefore we must bear all this in mind

when working in this area.

We enrich the dominant earth hues with a little of

Lifecolors Sand.

The areas which touch the ground directly are polished

because of the movement of the tracks. I convey this with
Citadel acrylics Chainmail darkened with a little Chaos
Black applied with the dry bush technique.

A wash in a darker shade will enhance the details of the track

links. Weve used here a Mig Productions wash to
accomplish this effect.

With a smearing stick and some

graphite powder, I leave the wheel
markings left on the tracks.

M. Laboratory

Adhered sand is conveyed with color pigments. The pigments used here have been acquired in a fine arts shop and I mixed
these together to obtain some shades to my taste. Pigments are fixed in place with oil paint thinned down with Humbrols
enamel thinner. Using sandpaper and a block of wood I sand down the tracks to leave them totally flat on the side which
touches the ground. These tracks are fortunately made out of metal so we also obtain a much welcome metal polish.

17

MUD ON THE LOWER AREAS:

The lower areas of all AFVs tend to
accumulate large amounts of adhered
sand both dry and wet in mud clusters.
Conveying this is essential to obtain the
proper results.

We put different sand colored

wholesale bought pigments on a
plastic dish. These are better bonded
and fixed together with Mat Acrylic
Gel. The acrylic medium gel also
allows us to create more volume and
do correctly the gel-pigment
mixture. The vehicle is portrayed
here without fenders, so it is
convenient to recreate dry mud left
there before the fenders were lost.
Masking tape is used for the purpose
of marking the areas to be dirtied
with mud.

The texture weve created is a very

good match, having several different
pigments and the right color range.

Thinned down oil paint is used to

recreate an array of stains, which
will give us the realistic feel and
scope needed for the vehicle.

M. Laboratory

The wheels are treated in

pretty much the same way.

18

PROFILING AND PAINT SCRATCHES:

divisions and so forth with some profiling
work and recreate a number of small paint

Using a mixture of black oil paint and Raw Umber we do

the profiling of all panel divisions, crevices, screws etc for
the entire vehicle.

Once were finished

with the profiling the
vehicle acquires more
depth and definition on
all its features.

chips and scratches.

We let everything to dry up for a few minutes and remove

off all excess leaving paint only where needed.

Paint chips need to be made with a

brush in perfect condition. Vallejo
acrylics are used bearing in mind that
for the more superficial scratches we
need to use the base yellow primer,
and a mixture of 70.982 and 950 for
the deeper ones reaching to the
metal surface. I always insist on
being very mindful of the areas
where you apply it; do not apply
these uniformly throughout the
vehicle and always do these
sparsely.

The area adjacent to the rear hatch, was subjected to much abuse from the crews; in order to convey this intense paint
chipping, we apply paint with a paintbrush with trimmed down hairs. If paint gets on spots where we dont want it we can
erase it with a brush soaked in water before it dries up.

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Now we go back to the upper areas of

the vehicle and mark all the details, panel

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In the period pictures we can see that the Guns of the

Jagdtigers were terribly worn and filled with paint chips,
scratches an all such. We recreate this and we also scratch
the tube with sandpaper being careful not to reach the
aluminum surface.

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Now well do the deeper scratches

that reach the steel on the armoring.
We will insist particularly on the rear
area.

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Using this technique we can also recreate the scratches on

the hull done by tree branches and other obstacles which
the vehicle might have encountered on its way.

We paint some scratches which

follow the own movement of the
hatches proper.

The process is finalized by recreating the metal areas which

are exposed by the continuous movement of crews,
appearing polished but in a different way. This is best
recreated with graphite powder which can be applied with a
cotton swab

Colors employed from left to right:

Khaki for the scratches on the
Dunkelgelb, Camouflage Yellow for
those on the camouflage colors. Black
and Red Brown for the scratches that
reach the metal surface and AKs
Chipping color specific for the
chipping chores.

or by directly rubbing the pencil lead on the protrusions

which are usually intensely manipulated.

DIRT ACCUMULATION
In the pictures of the real vehicles which weve studied we can see
considerable accumulations of dirt, moisture, grass and a few random
pieces of debris such as gun shells and so forth. Reproducing these
correctly is easy and it will give us an extra dose of realism to our kit.
A frequent mistake when reproducing grass and dry shrubs is to
use the same kind of fiber for both obtaining a monotonous and
artificial effect. Weve used here four different kinds of fibers:
1- Dry asparagus leaves.
2- Plumbing hemp randomly cut.
3- Artificial grass used by model train hobbyists.
4- Artificial fiber cut randomly.

In order to get a uniform color

maintaining a certain range, we
dye these fibers with acrylic paint
diluted with water.

This is the result once dry.

and we fix it in place with AK

Interactives Pigment Fixer.

Empty gun shells are made out of heat stretched styrene and
duct tape cut to measure.

We can also use white glue diluted in

water.

Heat stretched styrene can be painted with golden acrylic

paint mixed with a little bronze colored paint in two coats
allowing for each coat to dry fully and separately.

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We put these on the chosen spots with

a pair of tweezers

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By using the masking employed to

guide our cuts we make sure shells
are all made the same length.

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Here we see the reason why the

heat stretched plastic should be
black. This color makes us believe
in an optical illusion that were
dealing with a hollow shell. Now
we glue it in the desired spot in
pretty much the same way weve
done with the grass and shrubs.

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For the clusters of sand and dirt pigments are our best shot.
here weve used a great variety of pigments. Weve
employed some specific ones for hobby kits and some
bought in fine arts shops. Weve even used a few pastel
chalks.

The first thing would be to put the pigments on the chosen

spots.

I like to fix pigments in place with thinned down oil paint

in earthen tones.

Now we let paint run on the areas where weve left the
pigment clusters.

On the roof
of the
casemate
well work
in pretty
much the
same
fashion.

Once dry, this is the result obtained.

Notice that the brick colored
pigment cluster on the spare track
link represents a crushed brick and
debris after the vehicle has treaded
on the remains of a building.

Picking up the fibers with a pair of tweezers and glue it

between the tracks and the lower areas of the vehicle.

Water deposits or dampened areas are made with glossy acrylic varnish tinted with a little dark brown paint diluted in water.
Its important to apply it in several thin coats. If we try to do it in a single thick coat it can crack and ruin our job.

M. Laboratory

A way of conveying the effect of adhered grass and shrubs

on the track links is to use a mixture of fibers, pigment and
AK Interactives Damp Earth.

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PAINTING THE SPARE TRACKS

The track links which are not in use are
pretty different from those at work. These
links did not get any priming and were
placed on the vehicles right after leaving the
factories. The weather quickly got the best of
these and soon the links deteriorated and got
covered with rust.

We begin with the same base color

employed on the track links which
are in use, but from that point on the
treatment is radically different.

Using a sponge and a mixture of Black

and Red Brown we recreate an
intensely paint chipped surface.

Now we apply a wash with

Transparent oxide brown oil paint.

Then we apply rust colored pigments

with a paintbrush with trimmed hairs.
We can repeat this technique until
weve obtained the desired results.

Appearance of the links once these

have been placed on the vehicle.

STAINS AND OTHER EFFECTS:

We can also do some dirt stains; a good and widespread way to
do this, is by using acrylics well diluted in water. A different way to
do this and getting some texture there too- is by using Tamiyas
Weathering Sticks.

M. Laboratory

In this opportunity we will use the references Mud and

Light Earth. Well take a small amount of this paint paste
and put it in a plastic cap.

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With a brush soaked in water well dampen the color paste

diluting it as much as we like, using from small pellets of
this paste to doing light color veils, playing with the
density and the mixture of the different colors to paint
these stains. Here were trying to convey some dried
splashes, splashed from a puddle with some diluted mud in
it.

We can also apply it by splashing it up ourselves with a

toothpick.

GREASE AND OIL REMAINS:

AFVs of WWII needed continuous maintenance and its mechanical elements needed
continuous greasing up as well. It is therefore
very common to see grease stains on the
motors hinges and almost anywhere where
we can and cannot imagine as well.

We put some
grease on the
hinges of the
rear hatch,
doing what
some period
pictures often
reflect.

Small stains can

be better made
with a
toothpick.

In order to convey oil, grease and fuel

stains; we can use a number of
different products. AK manufactures
some specific products, but we can
simply use Black and Bitume colored
Titan oil paint diluted on Humbrol
enamel thinner.

The wheels on the track area can also

get some grease in pretty much the
same way.

This is the
motors covers
final looks.

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A FEW FINAL CONSIDERATIONS:

Ive tried to put the focus of this work on
the techniques and products available on the
market and how to put these to practical use.
All possible uses are summarily explored but
bearing in mind that theres no technique
which is totally necessary or fully developed
we cannot ignore or reject any; the crucial
thing here is to know all techniques, experiment all, using each as the need arises.
Each kit we make does not have to showcase our full array of abilities nor feature
every technique and materials available.
I always recommend trying, trying and
trying once again; this is the only way to
make progress and do some decent kits.

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2. Panzerjager Tiger Ausf.B (Sd.Kfz. 186)

Jagdtiger, sch. SS-Pz.Abt. 501, vicinity of
Waidhofen (Austria), May 1945.
On May the second 1945, forty members of
the 501 battalion of heavy Waffen SS heavy
AFVs were sent to the Nibelungenwerk
with the idea of repairing six Jagdtiger.
Seemingly only two could be returned to full
working order and both were eventually
sent to the battlefield. This unit has two
large camo color strips in Rotbraun RAL
8017 and Olivgrun RAL 6003 on top of the
Dunkelgelb covering the vehicle.

1. Panzerjger Tiger Ausf. B (Sd.Kfz. 186)

Jagdtiger, sch Pz.Jg.Abt. 653 vicinity of
Heidelberg, Germany, April 1945.
During August 1944 on the
Heereswaffenant we could easily see
AFVs with camo spots painted directly on
top of the anti rust priming (Rot RAL
8012) on AFV hunters such as this one
with Dunkelgelb RAL 7028 and Olivgrun
RAL 6003 spots. The only distinctive it
has are the Balkenkreuze on each side of
the casemate and two on the rear corners
of the rear of the casemate itself.

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4. Panzerjager Tiger Ausf. B (Sd.Kfz.

186) Jagdtiger, 3 Kp/s Pz.Jg.Abt. 653
This vehicle was painted with the three
basic colors Dunkelgelb RAL 7028,
Olivgrun RAL 6003 or Resendagrn RAL
6011and Rotbraun RAL 8017. The colors
are hand painted creating a hard edged
camouflage with denser stripes. Paint is
pretty thinned down so colors appear
pallid. The Balkenkreuz has been
partially painted with Dunkelgelb

3. Panzerjager Tiger Ausf. B (Sd.Kfz. 186)

Jagdtiger, sch. Pz.Jg.Abt. 512, Ruhr basin
(Germany), February 1945.
In spite of the norm, many AFVs came out
of the factories with only a Dunkelgelb
base color. This seems to be the case as
well for the first AFV hunter from the first
section of the second company of the 512
battalion of heavy AFV hunters,
camouflaged with large Olivgrun RAL 6003
spots applied when the vehicle made it to
its unit.

KITS

PHOTOETCHED:

Tamiya
Tamiya 35295 German Heavy Tank Destroyer
Jagdtiger Early Production.

Voyager
Voyager PE35053 1/35 WWII Germany
Jagdtiger

Aber 35G25 1/35 Sd.Kfz.186 Jagdtiger Grilles

(Tamiya)
Aber 35228 1/35 Jagdtiger (Sd.Kfz. 186) Vol.1
Basic Set (Tamiya)

Aber 35229 1/35 Jagdtiger (Sd.Kfz. 186) Vol.2

Fenders (Tamiya)
Tamiya 35307 German Heavy Tank Destroyer
Jagdtiger Mid Production Commander Otto
Carius

Dragon
Dragon 6285 1/35 Sd.Kfz.186 Jagdtiger Henschel Production

Voyager PE35160 1/35 WWII German

Sd.Kfz.186 Panzerjager "Jagdtiger" Basic (For
TAMIYA/DRAGON Kit)

Eduard
Eduard 35846 Zimmerit Jagdtiger Henschel 1/35

Eduard BIG3528 JAGDTIGER 1/35

Eduard 35701 Jagdtiger 1/35
Voyager PEA129 1/35 WWII German
Sd.Kfz.186 Panzerjager "Jagdtiger" Schurzen
(For TAMIYA/DRAGON Kit)

Eduard 35704 Jagdtiger fenders 1/35

Dragon 6351 1/35 Sd.Kfz.186 Jagdtiger Porsche

Production

Aber
Aber 35A041 1/35 Side Skirts for Jagdtiger
Aber 35G06 1/35 Grilles for King Tiger / Jagdtiger

Eduard 35705 Zimmerit Jagdtiger fender 1/35

M. Laboratory

Dragon 6493 1/35 Jagdtiger Porsche Production

w/Zimmerit

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Aber 35041 1/35 Jagdtiger (Sd.Kfz. 186)

Aber 35A42 1/35 Front and Back Fenders for
King Tiger & Jagdtiger

Eduard 35703 Zimmerit Jagdtiger 1/35

Eduard 35197 Sd. Kfz.186 Jagdtiger 1/35

METAL GUN BARRELS:

Friulmodel ATL-42 TIGER II HUNTING TIGER

Eduard
Eduard 34013 Jagdtiger 1/35

Royal Model
Royal Model RM306 1/35 Zimmerit for
Jagdtiger (Dragon)

Aber
Aber 35L-84 1/35 128mm PaK 44 L/55 Gun
barrel for Sd.Kfz.186 Jagdtiger (Tamiya)

Finemolds
Finemolds MG-34 1/35 Jagdtiger 12.8cm Barrel Set
Modelkasten
Modelkasten SK-6 1/35 Tiger II Track Set
Royal Model RM308 1/35 Scraped Zimmerit for
Jagdtiger Part 2
TRUCKS:
Friulmodel
Friulmodel ATL-16 1/35 Working Metal Track
Set for Tiger II / Jagdtiger
Friulmodel ATL-21 TIGER II / HUNTING TIGER
/ PANTHER II
Royal Model RM118 1/35 Jagdtiger Part 1 (Dragon)
Modelkasten SK-21 1/35 Jagdtiger (Henscheltype) Track Set (workable)

Royal Model RM119 1/35 Jagdtiger Part 2 (Dragon)

Friulmodel ATL-22 TIGER II / HUNTING TIGER
Friulmodel ATL-41 TIGER II HUNTING TIGER

Royal Model RM297 1/35 Jagdtiger Sd.Kfz. 186

(Henschel / Porsche Type)

M. Laboratory

Modelkasten SK-16 1/35 King Tiger Ausf.B

Spare Track Set (workable)

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A complete guide employing the most common techniques and the latest assembly and
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A book with high quality pictures made by the most prestigious modellers in the
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